Pipe tobacco packet



Jam-211970 Gm-HAL 5,491,111

PIPE TOBACCO PACKET INVENTORS. LIBORIO EGEA Y TOBIAS VILAPLANA ATTORNEY.'

United States Patent US. Cl. 131--197 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A holder for a charge of tobacco adapted to fit into a tobacco pipe bowl consisting of a pair of concentric nesting containers, the inner of which contains a charge of tobacco and has an upper external flange, the outer container has a two-tiered flange at the upper end thereof, one extending outwardly to rest on the upper edge of the pipe bowl, the other extending inwardly and being located below and adjacent the flange tier to receive the upper flange of the inner container to support the same therewithin so that the walls of the containers are spaced sufficiently to permit a filter to be placed therebetween. The container walls are conical and the outer wall of the outer container is spaced inwardly of the bowl wall. Smoke passages are provided through the bottom of the inner container and through the upper portion of the outer container wall below and adjacent to the two tiered flange so that the smoker may handle a cool pipe bowl.

BACKGROUND Over the years there have been many attempts to overcome the problems of stale tobacco which probably all pipe smokers have experienced. Pipe-loads of tobacco have been individually packaged in paper, of various types, which paper has been consumable by the fire along with the tobacco. In another effort the shredded smoking tobacco has been packaged in leaf tobacco which is also consumable by the fire. In yet another attempt the tobacco has been packaged in a non-burnable filter material, whereby the filter material was fitted directly against the walls of the pipe-bowl. Other variations of the foregoing arrangements have been offered to pipe-smokers, but each was characterized by some undesirable aspects.

For instance, where the tobacco is packed in paper the influence of the burning paper on the taste was a consideration for the consumer and the pipe was characterized by the usual hot bowl. 'In addition the pipe ended up in a dirty condition, i.e., it had to be cleaned out before re-use. However, the present invention provides a tobacco packet means which enables the user to smoke his pipe while enjoying a filtered smoke, a cool pipe bowl and a clean pipe bowl when the smoking experience is finished. That is to say there is no need to clean the pipe bowl before re-using it and no necessity to dirty up household ash trays, floors and the like, which so often results from knocking out a pipe before re-use.

SUMMARY The present invention provides a nested two piece tobacco holder means. The inner piece or member has at least one aperture or many apertures in its lower extremity, i.e., near the bottom of the pipe bowl, and it holds the pipe load of tobacco. The outer piece has an air gap between its inner wall and the outer wall of the inner piece. This air gap provides some heat insulation to help effect a cool pipe bowl and also provides space into which a filter is fitted, so that the smoke will be filtered. The

outer piece or member also has apertures therein which may be near the top of the bowl and enables the smoke to enter the bowl of the pipe and accordingly travel up the stem to the smokers mouth. Finally the outer member lies between the apertures of the inner member and the wall of the pipe bowl so that there is no tobacco coming in contact with the pipe bowl and hence none is left therein, or need be cleaned therefrom, before re-use of the pipe.

The present invention can be better understood by con sidering the following description in accordance with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a cross section of the inner member of the present tobacco holder;

FIGURE 2 is a cross section of the outer member of the present tobacco holder; and

FIGURE 3 is a cross section of the bowl and stem portion of a pipe with the present tobacco holder inserted therein.

As seen in FIGURE 1, the inner member 12 has a wall 11, which is preferably made of aluminum foil and is shown in the form of a hollowed out truncated cone. It should be understood that the inner piece 12 may take other forms to accommodate different shaped pipe bowls and difi'erent shaped outer sections. In the bottom wall 15 of the member 12 there is shown a plurality of apertures 13. Actually this bottom wall could be a screen type means or any means which would hold the tobacco in the inner piece but which would let the smoke pass through.

Around the upper end of the inner member 12, there is formed a flange 19. The flange 19 serves to provide a means by which the inner member 12 can be seated or located in the outer member 20 (FIGURE 2).

The outer member 20, shown in FIGURE 2, also has wall 21 made of aluminum foil. However, it is to be clearly understood that the outer member could be fabricated from some other material which would be nontoxic and non-burnable. It should be noted that the outer member 20 has a solid lower wall 22, i.e. there are no apertures therein. In the upper area of the outer member 20 a number of apertures 23 are formed. As will become more apparent hereinafter these apertures permit the smoke to enter the pipe bowl and be drawn into the stem. The apertures 23 could be located further down the wall but the filtering eflect would be mitigated.

Finally the outer member 20 has a double tiered flange 24. The uppermost portion of the flange 24 provides the means to seat the entire packet on the lip of the pipe bowl. Such an arrangement is evident in FIGURE 3. The lower portion of the flange 24 supports a flange 19 of the mner member 12. This last described arrangement is also evident in FIGURE 3.

FIGURE 3 shows the inner piece 12 nested within the outer piece 20 with the combination disposed within a pipe bowl 25.

Further shown in FIGURE 3 is a filter 26. The filter 26 can be cotton fiber or some other suitable filter material which will extract the tars, nicotine and oils from the smoke. Also shown in FIGURE 3 is tobacco 17 loaded into the inner member.

When the tobacco 17 is lighted and the smoker draws on the stem 28, the smoke travels out through the apertures 13 of the inner member 12, through the filter 26, out the apertures 23 of the outer member, into the pipe bowl 25 and through the stem 28. Accordingly, the smoke must travel through the entire length of the filter 26. The filter length may be substantially equal to the depth of the pipe bowl and accordingly the smoke is Well filtered before it reaches the smokers.

As can be seen from FIGURE 3 there is a double air gap between the pipe bowl 25 and the burning tobacco 17 3 and thus the pipe bowl remains cool. In other words there is one air gap 29 between the pipe bowl 25 and the outer member 20 and a second gap (even though it is filled with a filter) between the inner member 12 and the outer member 20. This double gap effects a cool pipe bowl during smoking.

An additional feature shown in FIGURE 3, adds to the cool bowl effect. In FIGURE 3 there is shown an annular seal 30. This annular seal is not necesary to the function of the device but is made of a heat insulating material such as the high temperature tape manufactured by the 3M Company, which serves to thermally isolate the inner member 12 from the outer member 20. It becomes clear that this feature adds to the cool-pipe-bowl effect.

Finally it is apparent from the description of FIGURES 2 and 3 that the tobacco 17 does not come in contact with the pipe bowl 25. When the smoker has finished, he simply removes the packet combination. Both sections can be thrown away and a new combination of inner and outer sections used or the inner section can be simply thrown away. The smoker seldom needs to clean the pipe bowl because it rarely is dirtied.

When the tobacco is loaded into the inner section, a peelable seal may be placed over the upper 19 to seal in the fresh tobacco and a second peelable seal may be placed over the apertures 13 although the latter seal may be deemed not necessary. In this Way the tobacco is kept fresh and the seals can be easily removed when the tobacco is used.

If the outer section does not fit a particular pipe bowl it is a simple matter to ream the bowl to make it fit or in the alternative fabricate different shaped outer and inner sections. When pliable material such as aluminum foil is used there is the advantage of having the packet fit many shapes and sizes because it is shapable by the user.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A disposable packet adapted to contain tobacco and to be removably inserted in and used with a smoking pipe having a bowl with an upper edge, comprising in combination:

a first inner member having a side Wall and a base section, said base section being provided with a plurality of apertures therethrough and said side wall being non-perforated and being provided at the upper edge thereof with an outwardly extending flange,

a second member having a side wall and a non-preforated base, said second member being provided with a plurality of apertures through said side wall,

tiers being disposed outwardly of said wall and being shaped and proportioned to rest removably on said upper edge of said smoking pipe bowl, and the other of said tiers being disposed inwardly of said wall, located below and adjacent said flange tier and I being shaped and proportioned to support said first member flange, I

each of said members being in the shape of a substantially truncated cone wider at the top and of the same general configuration, and made of pliable nonburnable material, with said first member being positioned and dimensioned to nest within said second member and contacting said second member only by means of said first member flange,

said second member being proportioned. to contact said pipe bowl only by means of said second member flange tier disposed outwardly of said side Wall resting on said bowl upper edge.

smoke filter means disposed between said side walls of said first and second members.

2. A packet as set forth in claim 1 wherein an annular ring of thermal insulating material is disposed at all points of contact between said flange on said first member and said flange on said second member.

3. A packet as set forth in claim 2 wherein both said first and second members are made of aluminum foil and said packet is shapable by the user.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 45,233 11/1864 Fessenden 131-197 491,744 2/1893 Roebel 131-213 X 957,922 5/1910 Willis 131-197 1,109,207 9/1914 Di Bianca 131-197 1,181,922 5/1916 Payne 131-197 1,607,539 -11/1926 Howard 13-197 1,980,594 11/1934 Palmer.

2,020,898 11/ 1935 McDonald 131-197 2,178,942 1 11/1939 Scott et a1 131-213 XR 2,191,014 2/1940 Hensley 131-197 2,553,501 5/1951 Hayder 131-197 I FOREIGN PATENTS 691,735 8/1964 Canada.

JOSEPH S. REICH, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 131-3 

